You Belong Here
by garganta
Summary: Piper and Alex needed a new start in a place far away from New York and their demons that kept haunting them there. Will they find their peace in Pasadena? Rated T for language rn, may change later on.
1. Chapter 1

They looked around the now fully furnished living room, the last room that still lacked some furniture. It was a book shelve that was the last thing missing and that now was already stocked to the rim with old and new novels, poem collections and classic children's books that they couldn't let go of and that they still needed.

"I love it." The blonde stated with a soft voice, a warm and sleeping small body safely tucked away in her arms, tickling her neck with his warm breath.

"Me too, Pipes. Me too."

The tall, dark haired woman walked up behind her wife and hugged her from behind, careful of their now nearly one year old son. She still marveled at the turn her life had taken. It felt like yesterday when Piper ratted her out to her probation officer and she was _pissed_ but in the end it worked out. They were safe now; they had a life together outside of Litchfield, outside of the Cartel and away from Piper's demons too. Their life was kind of white picket fence and they _did_ have real family, a son, an angel who stole Alex's heart the moment he let out his first cries out into the world, but they still had their adventures too. They still travelled to Cambodia for a week every year, or made a spontaneous trip to Tahiti when they could- though the spontaneous-part fell out of the window real fast when Piper finally got pregnant and Ian finally arrived in their lives.

"Let's put him to bed." Piper said. She carried him upstairs to his crib in the green and brown themed nursery room, which was next to their own bedroom, as Alex followed her. She laid him down softly in his crib and placed his soft teddy bear right next to him, which he clutched immediately. Piper looked down at him lovingly, memories filling her brain rapidly.

* * *

"_Al, I want to ask you something." _

_The blonde had her head placed in the crook of her wife's arm, her fingers playing with the fabric of Alex's nightshirt as they were lying in bed. The brunette's fingers trailing and making goose bumps on her arm stilled for a moment before continuing their ministrations. _

"_Ask away." _

_Piper shifted a little to turn her bedside lamp on before she returned back to her position in Alex's arm, looking up at her. "So, I've been thinking…" She trailed off, making Alex raise an eyebrow. Piper's hesitation made it obvious that she thought that Alex might be uncomfortable with what was to come. "I've been thinking a lot…about…um…Iwanttohavechildren." _

_The blonde looked down again, her attention now solely focused on Alex's sleeping shirt, toying with the fabric as she waited for the brunette's reaction._

_Alex was stunned for a moment. A thousand thoughts caused utter mayhem in her head, ranging from _run while you can! _to _I can't imagine children with anybody else._ "Are you sure?" She finally asked Piper._

_The blonde looked up, her eyes filled with such longing that Alex nearly just gave in. "Yes, Alex." She slid up a little, so that she was eye to eye with the brunette. "I want a child so, so much. I have been thinking about this a lot lately and…I want a family with you. A family with a child. With a little Alex."_

_Alex actually had to smile at the thought. She imagined a small boy with black hair and green eyes running around, calling Piper 'mommy'. _

"_I don't expect you to decide now, Al-" _

"_Yes."_

_Piper was stunned, her mouth hung open. "What?"_

"_I said yes." Alex smirked at her shocked wife. She was shocked herself, but it felt _right_._

"_Are you serious? Alex Vause, if you are fucking with me about this, I swear to god I-" She was cut off by soft lips pressing against hers, causing her to moan as she felt her body being pressed down onto the bed and her legs instinctively wrapped themselves around the hips of her wife. It was second nature, really._

"_I will be fucking with you any moment now, Pipes." Alex mumbled against the blonde's lips, her signature smirk firmly in place as her hand travelled down a path it had become all too familiar with- not that she minded or Piper complained._

_The blonde just groaned and kissed her again._

* * *

"Penny for your thoughts." Alex's husky voice pulled her from her memories. Piper smiled up and sneaked an arm around her wife's waist as she leaned against her.

"Just thinking. All of this still feels so…I don't know. It's still hard to grasp that I am married to you, and it's been nearly three years now…and that we have Ian…that we finally got away from New York and have our own house in Pasadena and that we will soon open our own bookstore…I'm really at my happy place right now."

Alex smiled contently at Piper and kissed the top of her head before taking a deep breath, inhaling the fresh, flowery scent of her shampoo. "Same here, kid. Come on; let's lay down for a bit."

She took Piper's hand and led her to their bedroom after she made sure that the baby monitor was on.

* * *

Alex woke up a couple hours later. She retracted herself from the blonde's arms and turned off the baby monitor, so Piper wouldn't wake up to Ian's soft cries.

As soon as she entered the nursery he broke into a big smile, lifted his arms up to show her that he wanted her to lift him up and made cooing noises. The brunette did just that and pressed him tightly against her, pressing a big kiss against his cheek, taking in his clean baby scent. She wished he'd never grow up.

"I love you, baby boy." She whispered against him before she made her way back to her and Piper's bedroom and lay down with him next to the blonde.

Piper turned around and opened a bleary eye at her two favorite people. "Hey." She said in a voice that was still thick with sleep.

Alex turned around and let Ian down on the bed between them. He crawled up to the blonde, who stroked his back gently with a hand. "Hey, baby boy."

"Good nap?" Alex asked as she brushed a loose strand of blonde her behind Piper's ear.

"God, no. I don't even know why I take naps anymore; they just make me so much more tired than I already am."

The brunette chuckled at that. "Maybe we could go out, see the park or something. We hadn't had the chance to really see the city yet, with the house and Ian and whatnot."

Piper smiled at the idea, happy to be able to go to the park with her family. "That's a great idea, just let me wash up and change."

After washing the sleep from her face and changing into a light summer dress, she picked Ian up so that Alex could get ready for a few hours outdoors.

The brunette washed her face and changed into a pair of jeans and a light blouse. When she was all set up she checked the baby bag to see if it had what they needed and then went to look for their basket. After she found it, she put a picnic blanket in it and went to the kitchen to cut up some fruits and cheese and to fill Ian's sippy cup with juice. After their fruits were done Alex took out a box from the fridge of Piper's self made baby food. She then took out two small bottles of water for her and Piper and put everything in the basket.

Piper checked Ian's diapers and was disappointed to see that they were wet.

"I need to change his diapers." She called out to Alex and went to the nursery to do just that. After she was done, she changed him into baby jeans shorts and a white t-shirt and to finish his cute look, she put a tiny baseball cap on his head to make sure that he was protected from the sun as much as possible. The blonde took a step back and had the biggest grin on her face as took a step to Ian again and hugged him close before she smothered him in kisses. "Aren't you the cutest boy!" She cooed as he let out a happy squeal.

After Piper put on his shoes on his socked feet, she picked him up and joined Alex who waited for them at the door. After giving a quick peck on her wife's lips, Alex opened the door, the stroller under one arm, the baby bag on one shoulder, and stepped outside. Piper took the basket with her.

It was a nice day, not too hot, but definitely not cold either.

She put the stroller inside the trunk of their car as Piper sat Ian on his children's seat in the back before she joined him. It was a little paranoid habit of the blonde to sit in the back with their son but Alex couldn't exactly blame her.

After a short, 10 minute drive to the Central Park and after taking another 5 minutes to find a parking space they got out of the car, set up the stroller and put the baby bag in its bassinet before they put Ian in his stroller. The blonde took out their basket.

Alex pushed the stroller as they walked through the park, taking it in. It was a beautiful place, with lots of green, a playground they could take Ian to, when he got older. There were also restrooms where they could change his diapers.

"This park is great." Piper smiled brightly. She could also take her runs out here. It was a while since the last early morning run.

"It is, kid. Come on, let's sit down and eat."

Piper spread out the blanket and put down their basket as Alex took their son out from the stroller and put him down next to the blond, letting him crawl and roll around to his leisure as she folded the stroller down and put it next to them.

The blonde took out the boxes and the sippy cup and placed them on the blanket before she leaned over to Alex for a kiss. She didn't really want to part away from the brunette's lush lips but still did so. Piper then pulled Ian towards herself and let him lean his back against her as she handed him his sippy cup, which he took and drank from greedily.

They both sat silently, contently for a while, looking around, taking it all in as Piper got lost in her thoughts.

* * *

_Piper, 2 months pregnant now, had a forlorn look on her face as she stared at her phone. She tried, she really did try to be okay with Polly again but she couldn't. Seeing Polly with Larry felt wrong in so many ways, this whole city started to feel wrong and Piper wasn't happy anymore. She didn't want her child to grow up in such an environment. She couldn't do PoPi anymore; she couldn't deal with her mother anymore. _

_She heard the door to the apartment being unlocked and felt a wave of relief wash through her. _

"_Alex?" She called out._

"_Yeah?" The brunette walked over to her in the living room and sat next to her, kissing her thoroughly on the lips before pressing a firm kiss on her stomach after she pulled the blonde's sweater up._

_Piper leaned her head against Alex's shoulder and let out a heavy sigh._

"_You okay, kid?"_

_The blonde looked up and shook her head. "No. I'm not okay."_

_Alex furrowed her brows in concern, pulling away from her wife to look directly at her. "Is something wrong? Is the baby okay? Are you hurt?"_

_Piper put on a reassuring smile as she took one of Alex's hands in hers. "The baby is fine, Al. No, it's just…I don't feel happy here. In New York. I think…I think we should move away."_

_A look of confusion appeared on the brunette's face. "What? Why?"_

"_It's just that…I don't feel comfortable with Polly here anymore and she keeps pestering me and asking me if we could go out and when we do I just…she feels more and more like a stranger. She can't even look me in the eyes. And my parents…since we got back together for good they haven't talked to me. I don't even know if it's the lesbian relationship, the lesbian marriage or the lesbian ex-drug-smuggling wife part that put them off."_

_Alex nodded in understanding. Piper never had many friends and the friends she had were either friends she made through Alex or through her yuppie ex-fiancé. The one friend she had- her best friend- banged her ex-fiancé and now didn't feel comfortable around Piper anymore, alienating the blonde more and more. The fact that Piper couldn't shake off the picture of Polly and Larry together didn't help matters. _

"_What about Cal though? Or Nicky and Lorna?" Alex asked. She didn't really feel comfortable with the thought of leaving Nicky behind. _

"_I…I don't know. It's just…I don't feel at home in New York anymore."_

* * *

Pulling herself away from memory lane, she took the sippy cup from Ian's hands. She ran her fingers through his dark locks as he leaned himself against her and blabbered away in his baby language.

"I think we made the right choice Al…I mean I miss Cal and I miss Nicky and Lorna but…I feel content…like really happy for the first time in ages."

"And that's all I want Pipes. Cal will visit us…Nicky and Lorna will visit us. We will visit them. It'll all work out. I really think we needed this to start a new life and family together." Alex smiled at the brunette. She felt at peace and wished that her mother was alive to see her now.

_You'd be so proud of us, mom._

* * *

They were about to pack up and walk back to their car; Alex was packing up their stuff in the basket when she heard a weird rustling noise, then someone shouting and the shouting followed by a loud _ouch!_. Alex looked up and saw Piper cowering with her hands clutching the back of her head.

"Pipes! Are you hurt? What happened?" She immediately rushed to the blonde's side, inspecting the place on her head she was holding, looking for blood.

"I don't know! Something just hit me!" The blonde whined.

Relieved that there was no blood she pressed a kiss on the her wife's head and looked around for the culprit when there were suddenly four men standing awkwardly in front of her.

The one with the glasses spoke up first. "Um, hi, I am Leonard and, uh, I wanted to apologize."

Alex was about to ask what he wanted to apologize for when Piper got up with Ian in one arm and what looked like a kite in the other hand.

"Al, I think this is what hit me." The blonde looked at the men in front of Alex and raised a brow in question. "Um, can we help you?"

The lanky one took a step forward before he spoke up. "First of all, let me introduce myself. My name is Dr. Sheldon Cooper, B.S., M.S., Ph.D., Sc.D. and I am a Theoretical Physicist at CalTech. Now, to the matter at hand. Since it was an accident born out of our kite-fight," Piper and Alex both shared a look that screamed _are they fucking serious,_ "and since this appears to be Rajesh's kite," he motioned with a hand at the Indian looking man, "it is a social convention that he helps you and tends to any wounds you might have." The Indian guy looked horrified at the prospect of tending to Piper's _anything_ and was about to protest when the Dr. Sheldon Cooper guy continued. "But since we were all involved in the kite-fight and Rajesh is a member of our social circle we are committed to stand by him and carry the burden of any mistakes he may or may not have made. And this is one of them."

Alex could barely hold back her chuckle at the grief stricken face of the Rajesh guy who had yet to utter a word about all of this. The guy with the glasses- Leonard- pulled the Dr. guy back and seemed to take charge of this really amusing show again.

"Sorry about that. Um, what he wanted to say is that we are truly sorry that you got hurt and that if you need anything we are happy to help out. We really feel bad about it."

Alex shook her head and put on her nicest smile. "Don't sweat it. Just be more careful the next time."

"Alex, my head feels wet." Piper suddenly spoke up and patted her head where she felt the wetness come from and frowned when she showed her bloody palm to Alex. "It's bleeding."

"Oh fu-" Alex wanted to cuss but one stern look from Piper had her silent. "Sorry. Language. I know."

Alex reached for the baby bag to look for paper towels or baby wipes, so she could clean the wound as good as possible right now when the doctor guy spoke up. "Luckily for you, I always have an disinfectant with me. You never know when it will come handy."

The brunette raised an eyebrow at that and took the spray with a small smile. "Thank you." She took Ian from Piper and debated for a moment where to put him when the smallest guy from them spoke up.

"Mademoiselle, let me take the little one for you. Howard Wolowitz, at your service." He said with, what he probably supposed was a smooth smirk. She handed Ian over to him with a thankful smile and concentrated now fully on the bleeding Piper.

She parted the blonde hair on the back of her head, looking for the source of the blood, when she found the small cut, probably caused by one of the edgy parts of it. "It's nothing, just a cut."

"Oh that's goo- HOLY MOTHER FUCK THAT BURNS!"

Alex laughed out loud at her wife's potty mouth and laughed even louder when she saw the shocked looks the boys gave them and at how that creepy Howard guy covered Ian's ears. "Language, Pipes." She said as she pressed a soft paper towel against the cut.

Piper, whose face was beet red after her outburst, mumbled an apology. "Sorry." She leaned against Alex and tried to relax, but that burning sensation that the disinfectant caused was annoying.

"So," Leonard spoke up and he and the boys sat down when Alex motioned it for them. "I don't think I've ever seen you around here before."

"We moved just a little over a month ago here. We finished the last touches in our house earlier today." Piper answered.

Now Howard leaned forward, a lecherous smirk on his face as he hand Ian back over to Alex. "You two are…?"

"We are married." Alex said. "I am Alex Vause and this is my wife Piper Vause." She smiled at how Piper always seemed to glow a little when she called her '_my wife'_.

Leonard, who seemed to be the nicest of them, suddenly spoke up with enthusiasm. "Hey, why don't the two of you come over one day, so the girls- my and his girlfriend," he pointed at Sheldon, "and Howard's wife- have some more people to hang out with and that way you could meet new people."

"Leonard." Sheldon spoke up.

"What?" He was clearly annoyed.

"I do not understand what it is with your desperate need to include strangers into our social circle. It repeatedly disrupted the group dynamics and-"

"Sheldon. It is called being nice to strangers and helping them to feel welcome in a new city after we nearly split the head of one of them in half this is the least we can do."

Piper stared at them in wonder. Not even prison prepared her for a spectacle like that Sheldon Cooper guy. "Is he always like that?" She asked the Indian and the small guy to which both nodded regretfully.

"So, what do you guys say? You can take your baby with you, the girls would love him…well maybe Bernadette not so much, but Penny and Amy surely would."

Piper looked at Alex, the desperate need for new friends visible in her blue bambi eyes and Alex smiled back at her.

"Yeah, we would like that. A lot."

* * *

**AN: So, I don't know how but this happened. I have had this idea in my idea for god knows how long and I think a crossover between OitNB and TBBT could be really fun. About the timelines, well, it's kinda messed up so it fits my needs. Just imagine that it's just the beginning of S07 in TBBT and that Piper and Alex are out of prison for some time now. So, I hope you enjoyed it, maybe I'll keep doing a chapter for this every once in a while, but if the response is right it might happen faster ;) Thanks for reading anyways, don't forget to review!**


	2. Chapter 2

"So…kite-fighting."

"Mhm."

They both burst out laughing in their bed, the blonde with a long leg draped over the brunette's legs, her head resting on her wife's shoulder.

"It's kind of cute though…I mean, a little…well, a _lot_ nerdy, but kind of cute."

"Whatever you say, kid." Alex said in a tone that reeked of sarcasm.

Piper slapped her lightly on her shoulder. "Shut up." She then pressed a kiss on Alex's jaw line, before she nibbled there lightly. "But they were nice, weren't they?"

Alex gasped a little when Piper moved down to her neck. "Pipes, can you not- ah!- could you please- ah, jesus…not talk about strange guys- yes, right there…when you do this?"

The blonde giggled as she let her hand wonder southwards. She was so ready for round two.

* * *

A little out of breath but a lot satisfied, Piper again had her head resting in the familiar place just under Alex's shoulder.

"When are we going to call them?" The blonde asked. She and Leonard exchanged phone numbers before his group parted from them. Aside from setting up their book store, this was what she looked forward most these days- making new friends, meeting new people. She hoped that they were nice.

Alex glanced and smiled at her wife. "You really look forward to it, don't you?"

Blushing a little, she smiled back at her wife. "I really do. But…I really feel bad for having you made do this, Alex. For making you leave Nicky behind…I know you two are really good friends. Now we have to meet new people because we don't know anybody here. You had at least someone in New York."

Tightening her grip on Piper, Alex pressed a kiss on the blonde's head. "It's alright. I won't lie, I really miss her, but I also am really happy here and it's not like we have broken up any kind of contact with them."

Piper nodded at that. She felt a little better, but she also still felt really selfish about this whole thing. When it came to her, Alex would always do anything to make her happy. Alex knew that, aside from her brother Cal and her godson Finn, Piper didn't really have anything to leave behind in New York. Of course she and Nicky got along well but the blonde also knew that Nicky fingered Alex in that particular Christmas night.

_Snatch Sisters_, the crazy haired girl called them. At first Piper laughed it off, but after she and Alex reconciled the blonde got increasingly insecure around Nicky. She was there for Alex when Piper wasn't. She got to comfort her, when Piper broke Alex's heart _again_. Piper hated herself for being like this but she couldn't help it. Trust was never before an issue, not even in their young days when Alex flirted with potential mules to get them to work for her. It didn't bother her because Alex always made it clear that Piper was out of bounds for anybody but herself. The brunette made the blonde feel special, wanted, desired.

But now, that they were married, that Alex promised Piper to always love her in good and bad times, through health and sickness, until they each took their last breaths on this godforsaken planet Piper felt insecure. Not even around random women that talked with Alex, but just around Nicky and she knew she had no right to feel that way. She and Alex weren't together back then. She broke Alex's heart and Alex was looking for comfort, which Nicky provided in the best way she could.

And Piper hated it. The blonde knew that all these feelings of insecurity and jealousy of the bond Nicky and her Alex shared were results of her guilt. Guilt about the way she left Alex so long ago. Guilt about starting an affair and declaring her love and affection for Alex in prison, making the brunette hope for a new future they might have together and then ripping it all away from her, breaking her heart again. Guilt for driving Alex to the very drugs she was importing. Guilt for never having visited Alex's mother's grave until just before they moved away. She was always so horrible to the woman she loved so much, having hurt her in so many ways and still, the brunette seemed so unfazed by all of it, holding her tightly in their bed, their skin touching and warming each other, making her feel so vulnerable but safe at the same time. It never ceased to amaze her.

She tilted her head back to kiss her wife's jaw, cradled her face in her hand while running her thumb affectionately over her chin. "You know I love you, right?"

"Of course I do, kid." Alex smiled down at her. "Where's this coming from?"

Piper shrugged nonchalantly. "Just reminding you."

* * *

They were inside their bookstore which was a 20 minute drive away from their home. Piper held firmly onto Ian, who was happily talking away in a language only he understood, and Alex gave instructions to the men setting up their shelves and counter. Before they arrived here, they went to buy several donut boxes for the workers, trying to make them feel comfortable around them and to make them feel appreciated. Happy people work harder, Alex always said.

The walls were already painted in a warm, relaxing coral color and the shelves were a soft brown. Piper already was imagining people mingling here with their coffees and tee on cold days, strolling through the shelves, checking out this book and that.

Through the stairs leading to the second floor they would reach the small lounge with several couches and tables, where people could sit with their books and notebooks in silence and read or write. There also would be a small coffee shop that would serve tea and coffee.

The blonde was beyond excited.

"Your moms are going to have a great bookstore, aren't they?" She cooed at Ian who squealed and grabbed a fistful of her hair before shoving it in his mouth.

"No! My hair is no food." The blonde pulled her hair from her son's mouth while he was happily gnawing away. She grimaced at her now wet hair and scowled at Alex who chuckled at them.

Her phone rang and as she looked at the ID her good mood deflated.

* * *

_Squat and cough. An all too familiar routine but one she hadn't had to go through in quite some time now. Not that she missed it. She pulled her underwear and pants back up, not bothering to hide anything or rush to cover her privates anymore with her modesty stripped away during her prison time, and entered the visitation room. _

_There she saw her. Her best friend. Or formerly best friend. She didn't know anymore. Taking a calming breath, she walked towards the table Polly was seated at and motioned for her to not bother to get up. Hugs were not something she wanted to share with the redhead right now._

"_Hey, Pipes." _

_The blonde cringed at that. A few weeks ago she didn't mind being called Pipes by Polly, she didn't mind being called Pipes by Larry. Now, if either of them did, she had to fight the urge to vomit._

"_Polly." What else was she supposed to say? _Hey Pol, how are you, did you try that position with my ex-fiancé already, it is really great with him like that.

"_So, how are you? I did what you asked me to do." Polly smiled forcibly, but it was obvious that she had big trouble to make any sort of eye-contact with Piper._

_At first, Piper wanted to take both Larry and Polly off her visitation list and she had no problems with Larry but with Polly she had to fight a big inner battle. In the end, she decided to leave Polly on the list for now._

"_I am well, considering that I am in prison and yeah, thanks for that Alex thing you did." Piper kept her eyes firmly locked on Polly's face and it aggravated her to no end how the redhead kept her eyes anywhere but on Piper._

"_So, how are things with Sup-, uh, I mean how are things with Alex? We are okay now, right?"_

"_Did you seriously think that one phone call would make me forgive and forget what you both did? What _you_ did? You can't even look me in the eyes!" Piper all but hissed._

_Polly sighed but now locked eyes with Piper. "But you said-"_

"_I know what I said. But that doesn't mean that I forgive you just like that. That I forget that you are fucking my ex-fiancé!" Piper's voice was getting louder with every word but she willed herself to calm down after one of the officers in the visitation room gave her a pointed look._

"_Why are you even so mad, Piper? You cheated on Larry first. He was lonely while you slept with your drug-dealing ex-girlfriend. You technically weren't even together anymore when we had sex."_

_Piper sat there open mouthed, stunned from Polly's words. She realized then, that she was truly alone in the world. Over one month had passed since she made Polly call Alex's probation officer. In that whole time the brunette hadn't talked to her, not one word was exchanged between them. Whenever Piper tried to talk, the brunette would bolt. Nicky was a little cold towards her since she so selfishly disregarded Nicky's worries over Red's condition and talked about how she would see Alex. She couldn't blame her. Then there was the fact that Larry banged her soon-to-be-divorced best friend and didn't talk with Piper anymore- not that she wanted him to- and now her best friend threw these things at her. Piper Chapman was truly alone._

"_You've got to be fucking kidding me." Her voice was calm despite her urge to punch something, _anything_. "I am so sorry that poor Larry didn't get laid. It must have sucked so bad that he had all this freedom, could go to bed when he wanted, wake up when he wanted, do whatever he wanted when he wanted, hell, he could take a crap in private! But he didn't get laid and that's the most important thing, right? But let's not forget that I cheated on him. Let's throw this in my face every time I call you out on your shit. Do you want to know why I got close with Alex again in the first place?"_

_Polly looked nervous now. She knew she hit a nerve when she spoke up to Piper and that was what she wanted. She lashed out because she wanted Piper to just let this go and accept it so she could get on with her life in peace. But it clearly backfired._

"_He lied to me. Larry told me that Alex didn't name me to the Feds. So I felt bad for blaming her, I had no reason to be mad at her, right? So I sought someone out to connect with in here. Who better than Alex? And then Larry used my life, my situation as a fucking springboard for his useless fucking career. Not to forget that I had to go to SHU for two days because I was dancing with Alex. I was done. I wanted to feel something good for a change. If I couldn't have anything else in here for myself then I wanted to feel what I always felt with Alex." Piper was seething now. It felt good to let all her frustration out but it still left a burning anger in its wake._

_Polly looked at her hands in her lap. She felt worse now than before. It was easy to forget what Piper didn't have in here when it was so normal for them outside. But still… "That doesn't excuse cheating."_

"_No. It doesn't. But the love of your life tends to make you do things you usually wouldn't do and make decisions you usually wouldn't make. Alex does that to me."_

_Polly shook her head. "I really don't understand what you see in her."_

_When Polly said things like these, Piper would usually say that she was just looking out for her, but now, she didn't know anymore. She was pissed and pissed Piper said mean and vicious things. "So, how do you feel about alienating the father of your child, with whom you've been married for god knows how long? How do you feel about him missing out on all of the milestones of your child?"_

"_That's just mean, Piper." Polly's voice was barely above a whisper._

"_Yeah, the things you said were dripping with kindness."_

_They sat their silently for a few moments, before Piper let out a dry chuckle. "I don't understand you, Polly. You thought Pete was childish and immature, not ready to be a father. What makes you think that Larry is that much farther? He barely earns his own money." She leaned slightly forward on the table. "Do you seriously think that Larry will be worth any of this mess? All of this will come back and bite you in the ass so hard…" Leaning back into her chair, Piper shrugged. "I won't be there to clean this mess up."_

_The redhead was struggling with herself, doubt filling her every pore at the blonde's words. Was she right? Was this entire situation she got herself in just one big mistake that would end up in a giant mess? _

_She looked up to see Piper getting up from her chair. The sad look on the blonde's face made her heart break. "You were my best friend once, Polly…my only friend. I'll fight for the sake of our friendship…and for Finn. But…it won't ever be the same again. That much is obvious."_

* * *

Sighing, she tapped the red symbol and put the phone back in her pocked. She couldn't deal with Polly and whatever reason she had to call right now. Looking at Alex and how she joked with one of the workers, how she told them what to put where- it made her heart lighter again. The blonde walked up to her wife and planted a big smooch on her lips, causing the worker's to hoot and wolf-whistle but she didn't care. A little entertainment for them was okay and seeing Alex Vause's cheeks getting a light pink hue was definitely worth it.

"What was that for?" Alex asked, though her big grin showed clearly that she couldn't care less about Piper's reason.

"Just because. And you are blushing." The blonde skipped away with their baby and went upstairs to look how the work there was progressing.

"I made your mommy blush!" She cooed at Ian and blue raspberries in his neck, making him let out a happy squeal.

She walked up to the nearest worker. "How's it going up here? Everything alright?"

"Everything's progressing nicely, miss."

Piper nodded, happy to hear that. "Do you guys need anything? Something to drink maybe? It's pretty hot and the air conditioning isn't set up yet."

The young worker nodded appreciatively. "That'd actually be nice. As long as it's cold, everything's alright. Thanks, Mrs. Vause."

"No problem at all."

She walked back downstairs, towards Alex. "Al, can you take Ian for a bit? I am going to buy something cold to drink for the workers. It's really hot upstairs and down here it isn't that much better."

Alex nodded and smiled at Piper's thoughtfulness. "You do that. Come here big boy." She smothered Ian's face in kissed, falling in love with his noises and smell all over again.

Piper's heart swelled at the sight of the two of them as she set off to buy water.

* * *

She entered the nearest store and walked back to the drinks section and was glad that this section was cool. She took one beverage crate with water into the cart and one with mixed soft drinks. As she wanted to head to checkout she saw a familiar face hand in hand with a really pretty blonde girl who was actually taller than him. She pushed her cart in their direction before she called out.

"Hey, Leonard!"

He looked up from a carton her was reading and waved at her with a friendly smile. The girl looked at Piper, curious as to who this really attractive woman was and why she seemed so happy to see her man.

"Hi! It was Piper, was it?"

Piper smiled at him. "That's right."

Leonard motioned at the girl next to him. "This is my girlfriend Penny. Penny, this is Piper Vause, the one we told you about, kite-fighting accident and all."

Penny then broke into a friendly smile, now, that the threat of this attractive woman was gone since she, according to the boys, was married- to another woman no less. "Hi, nice to meet you." She said, shaking hands.

"Likewise."

"So, are you stocking up for a party, or…?" Leonard asked, looking at all the soft drinks.

Piper chuckled. "I wish. These are actually for the workers at our book-store. It's really hot and the air conditioning system isn't set up until tomorrow. Offering them something cold to drink is the least we can do."

"You have a book-store?" Penny asked, curious.

Piper straightened up a bit, her pride showing. "We are in the middle of setting it up. Why don't you guys and your friends come by and visit it on the opening day?"

Leonard nodded. "We definitely will."

"Hey, Leonard said that you are new here? Why don't you and your wife come by tomorrow? It's halo night, so the guys will be busy."

"Halo night?"

"Oh, Halo is a first-person-shooter set in a science-fiction setting-" Leonard began to ramble enthusiastically before Penny interrupted him.

"The guys will play video games while we girls will get drunk and gossip." Penny explained with a big grin.

"I'll talk with Alex about it first but I'd love to. I better get going, before these drinks warm up too much."

Piper said goodbye to both of them and hoped that Alex would be alright with them visiting them tomorrow. She wondered though how a guy like Leonard, who seemed like your typical shy, nice guy, the type of guy who would get bullied through high school got together with Penny, who seemed to be the typical cheerleading party girl from high school.

They seemed to make for an interesting story.

* * *

When she arrived at their store again she went inside and asked one of the workers to help her with the beverage crates.

The water and soft drinks were shared amongst the workers, who were happy for a drinking break.

Piper walked up to Alex, who was playing with Ian, and sneaked an arm around her. "Guess who I met at the store."

"One of those nerdy guys from the other day?"

Piper slapped her arm playfully. "Be nice. And yes, Leonard actually. He was with his girlfriend, Penny."

"And?"

"She asked if we would like to come over tomorrow. The boys are playing some video game or whatever and the girls do other stuff."

Alex nodded, giving her okay. "Alright, tell them we'll be there."

Piper broke out in a huge grin and kissed Alex's cheek, before retracting herself from her wife and wagging a threatening finger at her. "But you will behave and you will not pull the crap you pulled on Polly."

"Language." Alex grinned at Piper, who mumbled an apology. It was fun, seeing Piper obey fall for the rules she set up for Alex.

"But promise!"

"I promise. Really. I was like that with Polly because I was kind of jealous of the bond you had anyways. I was afraid of…her stealing you from me or something."

Piper's eyes got huge at that admission. "What?"

"It's over now anyways. I'll behave. You are mine for all of eternity and no one can change that." Alex smirked at Piper.

Piper grinned back at her, her heart lighter after Alex's admission. Her being jealous of Nicky's bond with Alex suddenly didn't seem so crazy anymore.

* * *

**AN: Really fast update. I had nothing else to do, so I thought I'd squeeze this one out. Thanks for the two reviews! Enjoy this one, and sorry btw for any obvious typos. I am a slob with rechecking my stories and have no nerve for betas or sth, so bear with it. When I'll come around I'll check over all of this and upload a cleaner version. Enjoy this, and please review!**


	3. Chapter 3

"Pipes, aren't you done yet?"

The tall brunette sighed impatiently. Her blonde WASPy wife still wasn't ready and they were running late already. They were to meet with Leonard's girlfriend at her apartment 5 minutes ago but Piper couldn't decide what to wear.

Alex planted a firm kiss on her son's cheek, cradling him in her arms.

"Your mom is totally crazy, trying to find something to wear when all we are gonna do is just sit around and chat at someone's apartment!" She whispered in his ear.

"I heard that." Piper stood behind Alex with her arms on her hips and a raised brow.

Alex took the sight of her wife in, shaking her head. "All this stressing was just over a jeans and a blouse? Really?"

The blonde blushed. "Shut up."

Chuckling, Alex pulled Piper in for a kiss, their son right between their bodies giggling. "Come on, we are late already."

They got out of the house, locked the door and got themselves seated in the car.

It was a short drive and after about 15 minutes they arrived at the address Leonard gave them.

They got out of the car, Ian in Piper's arms, and entered the apartment building. Looking to their left, they saw a broken elevator.

"Aw man, we seriously have to take the stairs up to the fourth floor?" Alex whined.

"That wouldn't be a problem for you if you would go out for a run with me once in a while."

Alex just glared at Piper as the blonde merely threw a smirk at the brunette while starting to move upstairs.

When they finally arrived at apartment 4B, Alex slightly out of breath, Piper knocked on the door. They heard slight shuffling from inside the apartment before footsteps closed in and the door was opened. Leonard's girlfriend Penny greeted them with a smile.

"Hey, you made it!"

Piper smiled back ruefully. "Hi. Sorry for being so late."

Alex shook Penny's hand, introducing herself as Penny ushered them inside. The apartment was small but definitely cozy. Piper wouldn't mind having an apartment like this if she was single.

On Penny's couch was a small brunette with red framed glasses, a cardigan over a plaid shirt and denim skirts. She looked rather awkward and out of place. Next to her was an even smaller woman who had blonde hair, also wore red framed glasses and a cardigan with a knee-length skirt. What immediately jumped at both women though was the blonde's ample bosom, considering her petite physique.

Penny introduced them both to her already seated guests. "Amy, Bernie, this is Piper Vause and this is her wife Alex. Piper and Alex, this is Amy. She is Sheldon's girlfriend; and this is Bernadette, who is Howard's wife."

They all shook hands and exchanged pleasantries as Piper sat down next to Amy and Bernadette and Alex sat down on the chair next to her wife. Penny sat down on her orange director's chair next to Bernadette on the other end of the couch after she offered Piper and Alex something to drink, the blonde taking a glass of water and Alex a glass of wine. Ian was happily squealing and babbling away as Piper absentmindedly rubbed his tummy over his shirt.

There was a moment of silence until Amy couldn't contain her curiosity about the two new women in their group any longer. "So, how did you two lovelies meet? Was it love at first sight? Was it the first Sapphic love for any of you?"

Penny grimaced at Amy and smiled apologetically at Piper's astonished and Alex's amused look. The brunette decided to answer anyway.

"It was nothing special, really. I was at this bar with some friends when Pipes walked in. I just had to woo her." Alex smirked at the blonde who glared at her wife.

"You left out a lot, Alex." The blonde then turned to the other women who looked at them curiously, aware that there was a lot more to be said about how they met. "So, I was fresh out of college and needed a job. My…friend, Polly, she helped me with my application. You know, my family isn't exactly poor so I didn't need to work before but I wanted to start to, so I could have some sense of independence." Penny nodded at that, knowing what Piper meant, although her circumstances were different. "Anyways, I walk into that bar and look for the bartender when Alex calls out to me, calls me _Laura Ingalls Wilder_." Penny looked a little confused, Amy had to laugh though and Bernadette was giggling slightly.

"Who is Laura Ingalls Wilder?" Penny asked, again cursing herself for not being more well read around such smart friends.

Piper smiled at Penny. "She was an author from around the early 1900s."

Now Penny had to smirk. "Oh, now I understand. Was it really that bad?"

Alex just smirked and shrugged. Piper rolled her eyes at the brunette and continued. "I just wanted to ask her if she really just called me that when the bartender came up to me and I asked if they offered jobs but they didn't so I just ordered a margarita. Alex couldn't leave me alone though and said," Piper deepened her voice to make it sound like Alex, "'It's a little cold out for a margarita, don't you think?'" The women laughed at how Piper tried to talk like Alex and Alex actually chocked on her wine.

"I don't sound like that!" The brunette mock punched her wife on her shoulder.

"Yes you do." Piper gave her wife a short loving smile before she returned her attention to the other women. "As if all that wasn't enough, she snatched my application from me, read it and mocked it. This is how we first met. Alex made fun of me."

The brunette didn't even pretend to feel guilty about any of it. "Come on, what you wrote in their was ridiculous." Alex laughed at the memories. "'A Smith graduate with excellent listening skills; passionate about making diners feel good; safe, clean and careful when handling food and drink'." Alex laughed outright now, while Piper blushed furiously, still embarrassed about that application she wrote with Polly's help.

But she was also shocked. "You still remember all of that?"

Alex smirked at Piper's shocked expression. "Well, it was so bad, I think it's pretty hard to forget."

Piper just shook her head at her wife, a warm fuzzy feeling spreading through her body at how Alex still remembered the day they met for the very first time so vividly.

"You two seem to have a lot of history, don't you?" Bernadette asked them. It was obvious that what the two had was so much more intense and so much deeper rooted then they let on.

Alex nodded. "We do. We've known each other for far over 10 years now. Granted, there were 8 years we haven't seen or heard from each other until…circumstances threw us back together again." The other three realized that those circumstances were something that neither Piper nor Alex wanted to share yet, so they didn't pry.

Piper went on for Alex. "Before that though…it was so exciting. We travelled all over the world…" Piper's eyes shone brightly at the memories of their younger day, when they went from adventure to adventure, without any care in the world. "We travelled to Tahiti, Cambodia, Bali, Prague, Istanbul…it was amazing, really."

Penny, Amy and Bernadette actually looked jealous at the story they were told. Travelling all over the world, seeing places far away? They wouldn't say no to that.

Ian suddenly let out a long, loud yawn, making the women chuckle.

"You tired, baby boy?" Piper cooed at him.

"He's really sweet." Penny smiled, making Piper beam with pride as she ran her fingers through his dark hair.

"He is, isn't he?"

Alex smiled smugly at the words, her chest puffed out slightly, a hint of pride radiating off her too.

"His dark hair and bright eyes indicate that he has your genetic heritage." Amy spoke up, looking at Alex.

Nodding, the brunette explained. "We had him with IVF. My eggs were used and Piper's womb. I really had the easy part; Pipes had it tough with hormone therapies and the strain on her body. This was the closest we could get of having a child of our own. He has my DNA, but Piper gave birth to him."

Smiling at what her wife said, Piper remembered the feeling of giving birth to Alex's child. They were lucky that they only had to try twice, but the mood swings she had because of the hormone therapy she had to undergo before the IVF and toll it took on her physically were horrible- not to mention the pain during birth. But in the end it was all worth it. She was able to give birth to the child of the love of her life and now she was holding him in her arms.

"We've come a long way, haven't we, Alex?" Grinning at the brunette, Piper threw her a sideways glance.

"We sure did kid."

Shifting her attention to Penny, Piper adjusted the boy in her arms, who was now out cold and snored softly. "Do you mind if I laid him down in your bedroom?"

"No, not at all. Come."

Leading her guest to her bedroom, she opened the door. "You can lay him on the bed. Let's just adjust the pillows, so he won't roll out or something."

They did just that, laying him down and surrounding him with pillows before Piper went back to the living room to grab the baby bag they took with them and took out Ian's teddy bear and laid it down next to him. After that she took one of the baby monitor's and placed it on Penny's nightstand, taking the other with her to the living room.

"He's sleeping." She said to her wife, smiling.

Alex smiled in return, before turning to the other girls. "So, how did you guys get to know each other? Through Leonard and the other boys, or…?"

"Actually, I was the first who met the guys." Penny spoke up. "I just moved here and Leonard and Sheldon live just across the hall," Alex and Piper shared a surprised look at that, "and Leonard like was standing just there in the middle of the hall with Sheldon…I thought they'd say hi at some point but I had to say hi…and then we said hi a few more times…it was awkward."

"That doesn't even surprise me. The awkward part I mean." Alex chuckled, trying to imagine that scene.

"I thought they were a thing at first, you know." Penny laughed. "Until Leonard told me about them sleeping in…what was it…separate, totally heterosexual bedrooms."

They giggled at that, Amy and Bernadette because that just sounded like Leonard; Piper and Alex because they could just imagine that so perfectly.

"We grew close over time; I started to spend a lot of time with them." Penny continued. "When Leonard and I first got together he told me that he and Howard had a pact and that he had to find a girlfriend for Howard so I introduced him to Bernadette. We used to work at the Cheesecake Factory together."

"Do you remember the double-date when you introduced me to Howie?" Bernadette asked Penny.

A loud groan escaped Penny at the memories. "It was so horrible at first! Leonard and I started to make escape plans!"

Giggling, Bernadette turned to their guests. "It was so weird, Howie and I didn't have _anything_ in common. We didn't know what to talk about! He asked me if I was into something he was into and I said no. It already started in the car! I was already starting to give up on that date and just wanted it to be over until his mother called."

Piper and Alex both raised their eyebrows at that, wondering where that would lead to.

"You know, Howie and I, we both have a…strained…relationship with our mothers and we actually started to bond over that. How likely is that?"

"It was like a game to them. 'Who has the crappiest mom'?" Penny added to that.

"Sounds like one hell of a double-date." Piper laughed.

Alex grinned at mischievously at Piper. "You could start bonding with Bernadette and Howard, you know."

"Jesus, Alex, don't even go there!" The blonde groaned. At the questioning looks, Piper answered with a sigh. "My relationship with my mother is strained…to say the least. We aren't even on speaking terms anymore."

"Why?" Penny asked with a shocked look. Not speaking at all with your mother sounded a little extreme.

"Well, for one thing, she doesn't approve of Alex, but that's not even the worst thing. No offence, but I don't know any of you good enough to even think about explaining it more deeply."

"No, that's okay. I understand." It was obvious to Penny, and the others too, that there was way more to it than just Alex, but they understood why the blonde didn't want to explain to them just yet. They just met.

"Wait," Bernadette suddenly spoke up. "You said she doesn't approve of Alex? Didn't she know that you are gay before?"

"I am not." Piper said it as if it was obvious. At the blank looks she received, she rolled her eyes and explained what she explained to Polly so long ago. "Look, I don't like labels. I just happen to like hot boys and I just happen to like hot girls. I like hot people. I am a shallow person, but most of all I am a damn lucky person because I am married to the hottest person alive." She smirked at Alex's smug look. "But, if you do have to put a label on me, then it would be bisexual, I guess."

She let the girls ponder that for a moment before she looked at Amy. "So, how did you and Sheldon meet?"

Amy, obviously happy to be actively engaged into the conversation, started to tell her tale. "I met him via an online dating website."

Alex's eyebrows rose high at that. "What? No offence, but neither of you guys seem to be the online dating type."

Nodding in agreement, Amy explained. "My mother had me date once a year. In return I had access to her George Forman Grill. As for Sheldon, Rajesh and Howard created a dating profile for him and we happened to be a match. Sheldon did not approve at first, but over time we grew close."

"Aww." Everyone turned to look at Piper, who blushed at her own outburst. "What? It is cute. How they found each other over a means they both didn't even want to use."

"Hey, what I wanted to ask, what is it with this Rajesh guy? The Indian, I think." Alex asked. She wondered about him for a long time.

"What about him?" Penny asked, curious.

"Well, when we met the guys at the park he didn't say a single word. Is he mute?"

Penny now furrowed her eyebrows in confusion. "He used to have this thing…Selective Immunity or something."

"Mutism." Amy explained. "It's Selective Mutism."

"Thanks, Amy."

"Not a problem, bestie." The brunette grinned.

"Anyways," Penny continued. "He _used_ to have what-she-said. After Lucy, his ex-girlfriend, broke up with him he was cured. Before that he couldn't speak to any women who were not his family members."

Their conversation was cut short by Ian's cries. Piper wanted to get up, but Alex put a hand on her thigh.

"I'll get him."

The blonde mouthed a thanks at her wife's direction before taking a sip from her glass.

"You two seem really happy." Bernadette stated.

Piper smiled at her. "Yeah. We lost too much time. It was necessary that I broke up with her back then. I regret _how _I broke up with her then…but not _that _I broke up with her. We were both young and naïve. Especially me. We paid the price for it in the end, but before that…I just wished that it didn't have to be 8 years." She smiled when she saw Alex with a happy Ian tucked in her arms. She took the baby monitor from Alex and put it back in her baby bag before taking out a box with Ian's food, handing it to Alex. She turned back to the small blonde. "But you are right. We are really happy now."

Ian, now with a napkin around his neck and food all over his mouth, was wide awake, his eyes big and curious, taking everything in.

"How old is he?" Amy asked, smiling at the little boy.

"He'll be a year old in 2 months." Alex grinned. "He'll go talking and running around soon, won't you?" She tickled his stomach, making him squeal. "The only guy who could ever steal my heart."

* * *

"Raj doesn't have Selective Mutism anymore. He probably was just nervous or something."

They stood in front of apartment 4A as Penny tried to explain Raj's behavior to them before they entered. She didn't knock as she simply entered the apartment, the boys sitting on the couch, fixated on the screen with Chinese take-out boxes, junk food and soft drinks littering the table and floor. They didn't react to anything.

"You know, it's kinda rude to not greet ladies when they enter your apartment; especially if it's 5 pretty ones like us." Alex told them. They still didn't react to them.

"Is this normal?" Piper asked incredulously.

"Yeah, they are in their zone." Was the resigned answer Penny gave them.

Alex suddenly had an idea. "And they react to nothing?" She asked.

"Correct." Amy answered.

"They are totally gone?" A smirk grew on her face, making Piper nervous; she gripped Ian tighter to her chest.

"Totally." Bernadette confirmed.

"Let's test that." Alex took Ian from Piper and handed him to Penny, who, shocked at what just happened looked at the baby as if he was an alien object. The boy looked up at her with wonder in his bright eyes, making her relax immediately. He was just too cute.

Alex grabbed Piper by her hand and pulled her further into the room, the other three women looking at them curiously, before their collective jaws hit the floor at what they saw.

The brunette cupped her wife's cheeks and smashed her lips onto the blondes before she could protest. Out of instinct Piper immediately kissed her back, her hands locking behind Alex's neck as the brunette ran her hands down her sides and locked around the blonde's waist, pulling her closer and making her moan.

When she broke away from Piper, the brunette first looked at the girls who had all shocked looks and flushed cheeks on them; Amy even grinned widely.

"Bazinga!" Sheldon suddenly shouted, followed by an explosion from the television screen. The two women, still pressed tightly together, turned around to the couch and saw 3 aroused males and one, who seemed to be more confused than anything.

"Did I just see that, or…?" Howard mumbled out, still not believing what he saw.

"Yes." Leonard nodded at him.

A pitiful squeal escaped Raj and Sheldon huffed in annoyance.

"I do not understand what has you all so rattled but if you forgot, it is Halo night. Now, ladies, if you would please go back to apartment 4B and do whatever it was you did."

Alex and Piper stepped away from each other before the high-fived; according to what the girls told them moments ago it was near to impossible to get the guys' attention when they were playing their games, but they did it.

Penny was the first to snap out of her shock. "No, we need to ask Raj something at first."

Sheldon sighed, annoyance evident. "If you must; but please, be fast. Time is running and not waiting for you because you have to ask Rajesh something."

Rolling her eyes, Penny turned her attention to the man in question. "Raj, you can talk to women now, right?"

He tried to say something, but out came only another squealing sound. He looked defeated and sad and it actually broke her heart.

"You poor boy, what happened?" Penny asked.

Leonard and Howard were also curious, since they too thought that he defeated his mutism. Raj leaned towards Howard and whispered in his ear.

"Aahh, alright. That kind of explains it." Howard turned to the Piper and Alex. "He said that the hot one intimidates him."

Piper looked now really confused. "What? I am not intimidating!"

Alex chocked back a laugh as Raj immediately whispered again in Howard's ear.

"He said that he meant the tall, dark-haired one; Alex, right?"

"Right." The brunette got out between laughs.

"Oh Jesus, come on! I am hot too!" Piper whined.

Between all of that, none of them caught Leonard staring at Penny with a wide smile in his face as she played with Ian in her arms.

* * *

**AN: So, a new chapter. Thank you guys for your reviews, favs and follows! I appreciate it and I am happy to see, that this crossover is pretty well liked so far! And a question: do you guys want me to add adult scenes into this or no? I haven't ever written sth like that so I don't know how it'll turn out. That being said and asked; enjoy! Please do not forget to review!**


	4. Chapter 4

"You've been staring at your phone for the past fifteen minutes."

The blonde turned to her right, catching her wife looking at her with a bemused expression. "Yeah…sorry. I just can't decide if I should call Polly back or not."

They were in their bookstore, overseeing the finishing touches. Soon, the first shipment of books would arrive too and then, very soon after, they could officially open it. Piper was beyond excited. Sometimes she still marveled at how her life had turned out; she would have one hell of a story to tell.

Alex moved over to her wife, Ian safely tucked in one arm, taking everything in with eyes wide in awe. "Look…Holly was your best friend not too long ago. I know things aren't great between you two and it's her own fucking fault but if she actually tries to reach out to you…I think it's worth to look if there is a good reason behind her calling. I think there is."

Piper sighed. She knew Alex was right. Polly wouldn't bother calling her without any reason at all. She knew there would have to be something to make the redhead that desperate. But she didn't want to call back.

Just two days ago they had a fun evening with new friends, they made out in front of the whole lot to try and get the guys' attention. It was daring and _just Alex_. Of course the brunette would initiate that. Piper was no one to shy away from public display of affection but putting on a blatant show, something akin to soft lesbian porn just to catch the guys' attention, to draw them away from their video games was something that Alex would dare but not the blonde. She didn't mind too much though since she got the better part of it all; the guys could only watch but she could actively participate _and _she and Alex continued the show at home.

Now all of that seemed pretty far away. As the opening of their store got closer their days got more stressful. With the shipment of their first books coming soon the first applications were answered and the first interviews would follow soon.

And then there was also Polly. The blonde sighed, relenting to her curiosity. "Alright, I'll call her."

Alex smirked at how once again she made her wife listen to her and her smirk grew to a grin at the weak glare she received now from Piper.

The blonde stepped outside and wanted to call her when a young girl with short brown hair walked up to her.

"Excuse me?"

Piper turned to look at the girl a brow raised in question. "Can I help you?"

The girl fidgeted for a moment and then smiled shyly. "Do you…is this your bookshop there?" She pointed at her and Alex's shop.

Piper smiled proudly and nodded. "Yes, my wife and I own it." She and Alex always made it a point to mention that they were married to each other. That way they could weed out potential troublemakers from the very beginning.

The girl's eyes widened slightly and her mouth formed an 'O' as her cheeks took on a pink hue. "Oh…I…okay."

"Is there a problem?"

"What? No!" The girl shook her head vehemently. "I was just surprised is all. You know, I am gay too."

Piper smiled at that. If the girl wanted to ask for her shop and if her application was impressive enough, she had good chances because there would be little to no risk of her being uncomfortable around her and Alex.

"Look, can I give you that?" She fumbled around in her backpack and pulled out a portfolio.

Piper took it and opened it, her eyes widening at the obvious work the girl had put in on her application, considering the kind of job it was for. It looked promising to say the least. "Definitely," She looked at the name on the application and then at the girl, "Sandy."

The young brunette looked relieved, a wide grin on her face. "Thank you so much, Mrs.…?"

"Vause. Piper Vause."

"Thank you, Mrs. Vause. Really."

Piper chuckled. "Not a problem. Expect an answer around next week."

The girl thanked her again and left and Piper's attention turned back to her phone. She sat on a bench close to the shop and, with Sandy's application on her lap, pulled out her phone.

Scrolling through her contact list she ended up at Polly's, her thumb hovering over the name. Reluctantly she pressed her thumb on the name and then on the call button. She waited a couple seconds and wanted to already end the call when Polly answered.

"Pipes!"

Cringing at the blatant use of the nickname she only reserved for people she held close to her heart, she answered back. "Polly. Why did you call me the other day?"

"Oh, I almost thought you didn't get the call."

Piper ignored the side blow. "Well, I obviously did."

"Yes." There was a long pause and Piper almost just ended the call, getting annoyed when Polly finally spoke up. "You were right, you know. With everything. I…I'm sorry."

Confused, Piper furrowed her brows, wondering what Polly could talk about when it suddenly dawned on her. "Larry broke up."

It wasn't a question. Piper knew it. Now Polly's call made sense too. Larry was the only reason the redhead would call her. Larry was the only thing left that connected them both. There was nothing else left anymore; Polly made sure of that.

"Yes."

Piper wanted to laugh. She wanted to spit out a vicious row of words at Polly, she wanted to tell her that she got what she deserved, that her now being a single mother was all her fault. That she threw away her marriage for a relationship that was doomed to fail from the very beginning. That she threw away such a deep friendship to fuck with the ex-fiancé of her best friend. She wanted to tell Polly all of that, but it would make it too easy on the redhead.

So she settled with obvious fake kindness.

"I'm sorry?"

Polly sighed from the other side of the line. "You are not."

"No, I am not."

They remained silent for another few moments, neither knowing what to say anymore. There seemed no more words left to say anymore.

* * *

Piper entered the store, a faraway look on her face. Alex turned to look at her wife and her brows furrowed in concern.

"You okay, Pipes?"

The blonde sighed. "Larry broke up with Polly. And I feel horrible that I feel good. I shouldn't even care anymore." She shrugged her shoulders, showing how clueless she felt about the whole situation. "I should try and cheer her up, y'know? Instead…I don't know."

Alex leaned in to give Piper a peck on the lips, carefully balancing a dozing Ian all the while. "It's okay. I mean, she was free to do what she wanted to do. She's a grown woman and it was her own decision. It was a stupid decision, yeah, but she wanted to do it so she did. Just like I did back then. Just like you did." She stared at Piper, intently. "We both paid our price. Holly is now paying hers."

The blonde nodded, knowing how right her wife was. It made her heart ache still, knowing that the friendship she once head with Polly was officially dead; irreparably destroyed by that one stupid decision the redhead made.

Piper leaned into her wife's side, sighing, as she reached out a hand to gently comb through her son's dark hair. "I know, I know. I don't have to like it though."

Alex kissed the blonde's head, saddened by what transpired between Piper and Polly. In the early stages of their first relationship together, Piper would talk about Polly a lot; even to the point of making Alex jealous of the bond the two shared. During their brief affair, when Alex tried- and failed- to win the blonde back, there was little to talk since they were too busy rediscovering their bodies.

But it was when Piper pursued _her_ for their third and last try that Alex realized that she was the only thing keeping Piper from drowning; that Piper really had nobody left.

* * *

_Piper couldn't describe the mixed feelings of insurmountable relief and horrible guilt when she saw Alex those few weeks ago in the cafeteria, wearing orange scrubs. _

_She felt relieved because she remembered how scared the brunette looked, she remembered the fact that she couldn't step outside of her apartment out of fear, that she wanted to skip town out of fear, that she slept with a gun under her pillow out of fear. _

_A large part of her was selfish; so selfish that she did rat out Alex's skipping town to her PO. She lost her best friend, she lost her fiancé. Losing the love of her life would be the final blow; she would completely lose it and she was already constantly on the verge of it._

_The other part of her, the larger one, was worried. She was worried about Alex's safety. How could _the_ Alex Vause be so naïve and think that leaving New York would make her safe? How could she believe that a life on the run would keep her alive? Piper wouldn't allow it. The only place that would keep Alex somewhat safe was this hellhole and even if it meant that Alex would hate her, the knowledge that she was alive and safe in here was enough for Piper to risk being on the receiving end of the brunette's hatred. _

_But she had enough. She tried several times to talk with Alex, she endured the mocking and glares of the other inmates, she endured being called a snitch, she endured being on the receiving end of jokes about snitches; none of them understood, none of them could ever understand why she did it and they didn't bother to ask her. It hurt and there were enough times that she silently cried herself to sleep out of frustration and her hurt feelings but she didn't bother to explain it to them. She let them have their fun. They weren't important._

_But having Alex make jokes about her, laugh with the others pissed her off. _

_So, one day, when she saw Alex leave for the showers early in the morning, she followed her and stood in front of the door, blocking the exit. _

"_Alex."_

_She received no answer, the brunette had her back turned to her, effectively ignoring her presence._

"_I know that you can hear me so you might as well turn around and look at me when I try to explain myself." _

_Alex whipped around, an angry glare on her face as she looked at her ex-girlfriend. "What the fuck is there for you to explain?! You snitched! There's nothing more to it. Now leave me the fuck alone."_

"_No. I will not leave until you let me explain." Her resolve was withering away under the brunette's glare but she steeled herself; she had to. She was used to run away from problems and never really could deal well with emotional drama, but she always knew that at some point she would have to woman up and face her shit. Now was the time._

_A frustrated hand combed through dark hair as Alex kept glaring at her, before she sighed and nearly spat out her answer. "Fine!"_

_Piper's shoulders sagged from relief, as if a weight was lifted off them. "Thank you, Alex." She ran a hand through her hair, before looking at Alex. "I love you." Alex raised both eyebrows, opening her mouth to speak before Piper held up a hand, stopping her. "I love. I loved you and I love you and I will always love you, okay? I never stopped and I never will stop." She took a shaky breath but looked at the floor, unable to hold her ex-girlfriend's piercing gaze. "I am sorry for not being there for you when you needed me the most. I really am and I am sorry it took me so long to apologize. You deserved it long ago." _

"_What does any of this have to do with you snitching on me?"_

"_It has everything to do with it. I am also sorry for…for handling that Larry-thing so poorly. For breaking your heart again. But I am not sorry for snitching on you. I will not apologize for it."_

_Alex looked really pissed off now and at any other time Piper would have backed away but this time she just stood there, in front of the door, defiant._

"_How long do you think you could have run? I can't believe that _you_ of all people thought that you could outrun Kubra. I mean, you worked for him! You know the way he is! You know how big is cartel was and probably still is! No matter how good you are Alex, you wouldn't have lasted a whole year on the run. He would have found you and he would've…he would have…" Piper took a shaky breath and a sob escaped her as she shook her hands against her face, trying to calm herself. "I can't even say it! It makes me cry just thinking it!" She was near hysterical now and Alex, despite rolling her eyes at Piper she felt a wave of tenderness and protectiveness wash over her as she walked towards the blonde and engulfed her in a hug, which Piper readily accepted and got lost in. "I just wanted you to be safe…" She whispered into Alex's chest as her hands clutched at the brunette's uniform. "I'd rather have you hate me in here than…"_

_Alex sighed. She knew that Piper was right. She knew that everything the blonde said made sense and she hated it because she hated this place and hating Piper was often easier than loving her. "It's okay." She said it before she even thought it and when it was out it was too late to take it back because Piper's face looked so hopeful and that unsure smile made her heart melt._

"_Really?"_

_Sighing, she shrugged. "Yeah…"_

_Piper was grinning from ear to ear now and, before she could stop herself, kissed the brunette, tasting her lips again, without guilt, without the obstacle of a fiancé. "I am not with Larry anymore." She whispered into Alex's lips. "It's just you now." She kissed her again. "I want you."_

_Alex pulled away from Piper, looking at her. "I…"_

"_I will not run away anymore, Alex. I meant it when I said that you are the only one I have left but I don't want you because of that…I want you because I need you. I know that now. I understand that now. But if you don't want me now, I can understand." She shrugged, before reaching up cupping the brunette's cheeks. "But it won't stop me. This time, I will pursue you."_

_Alex stood there, letting the blonde's words sink in. All she ever wanted was there now, in front of her now and she could have it now; she just had to say the word but instead smirked. "Just to see you do that, I will resist you now, kid." She wouldn't let the blonde off the hook so easily. The brunette started to undress but stopped in the middle of it. "I'd like my privacy now, if you wouldn't mind." _

_Piper raised an eyebrow at that but still smiled as she reached for the door. She stepped out of the bathroom, feeling a million times lighter than before she went in there. She was about to close the door behind her when she heard Alex's voice._

"_Good luck winning me back, kid."_

* * *

They were at home later that day, looking through applications as Ian was asleep in bed. Piper told Alex about Sandy and why she was already her favorite and it was certified by that surprisingly thorough application the young girl had written. She seemed to desperately need the job.

Halfway through the rest of the applications Piper got a message on her phone. She looked it up and saw that it was from Penny, asking her if they could talk. Raising an eyebrow in wonder she called the other blonde.

"Hi Piper, thanks for calling."

"Not a problem, is everything alright?" Piper asked at the strained voice of Penny. Alex looked at her questioningly after hearing the question and Piper shrugged.

"No…yes…I don't know." A sigh of frustration left Penny as she continued. "Look…I just need someone…normal to talk to, and you seem normal and I mean I love Bernie and Amy and I couldn't imagine my life without them but sometimes they view things just too much like science projects and Amy says weird things sometimes and I just-"

"Woah, woah, relax Penny. I understand and whatever you need, talk." Piper leaned back, her phone on her ear.

"Thank you…look, I don't think I told you before, but I tried it as an actress and I failed. My latest job, the job that could've been my breakthrough, was a failure. A complete failure. I have nothing now, no job, no career and all my friends are ridiculously smart and I am just the pretty girlfriend of one of them. I am glad that I have them and I love Leonard but…sometimes I just…"

"You could always go back to College, you know?" It seemed obvious to Piper.

"I know and I've seriously considered it but…how am I supposed to pay for it? I have no income and I don't want to ask my parents for money. I left because I wanted to be independent! And I don't want to ask Leonard…it would just make me feel worse…"

"You have experience as a barista, right?"

"Yes. Why?"

The blonde shrugged as she answered. "Alex's and my bookstore will have a small coffee stand and will sell pastries and such. We are hiring right now and we could offer you a trial run for a couple of weeks or so. If you do a good enough job, than we could hire you."

Penny sounded frustrated. "Look, no offence and I appreciate it, really, but I don't want charity or-"

"Penny." Piper broke her off, firmly but kindly. "This is no charity. I promise. I count you as a friend and I want to help you out. But that bookstore will be Alex's and my new start. If you are bad at what you do, we can't and won't hire you. But if you do a good job than you will have a job, able to support yourself."

The other end was silent for a few moments, before Penny spoke up. "Promise me to be honest with me and to tell me when I suck."

Piper smiled and gave Alex a thumb up. "I promise."

* * *

**AN: Not much going on here. I have lots of ideas for how to continue this and for drama in between but I have one thing I don't know how to handle so I will ask you guys for ideas:**

**How should TBBT gang find out about Alex's and Piper's being ex-cons and Alex's drug cartel history?**

**Tell me your suggestions and ideas with reviews, pm's and stuff.**

**Thanks for reviewing, for the favs and alerts. ILY guys.**


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